claude-phase-roadmap-builder

name	claude-phase-roadmap-builder
description	Harness Code roadmap planner. Produces or extends a multi-phase roadmap spec that <harness>-plan-phase can ingest, with phase dependencies and interface-freeze gates.

-phase-roadmap-builder

Runtime State

For reflections, handoffs, and latest handoff pointers, follow <harness>-config/shared/runtime-state.md. This repo/branch/run-isolated contract supersedes any older flat closeout examples retained for historical context in this skill.

shared/phase-loop/protocol.md is the canonical shared contract for automation:, next_skill, next_command, verification_status, and downstream roadmap-amendment semantics. Harness-specific closeout text must agree with that shared protocol.

When this skill runs through the phase-loop Harness adapter, the repo-owned injected plugin bundle is authoritative. That bundle carries the full Harness workflow pack (<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder, <harness>-plan-phase, <harness>-execute-phase, and <harness>-phase-loop) even if installed bridge skills under resolve_skill_bundle_root("claude")/ are missing or drifted.

Produces the specs/phase-plans-v<N>.md roadmap that /<harness>-plan-phase consumes. Digests the prior conversation and any markdown files the user points at, then writes a phased roadmap whose structure maximizes parallel execution. Creates a new roadmap if none exists; appends phases (never edits existing phases) if one does.

When to use

• User wants to formalize a conversation's plan into a phased roadmap.
• User points at a markdown spec and asks to "phase it."
• User wants to add phases to an existing specs/phase-plans-v*.md.
• User wants the output to be ingestible by /<harness>-plan-phase.

When NOT to use

• Single-phase or single-concern change → use /<harness>-plan-detailed.
• Lane-level planning for one phase → the user wants /<harness>-plan-phase, not this skill.
• Pure research / "how does X work" → use Agent(subagent_type: "Explore") directly.

Inputs

Arg	Required	Meaning
<spec-path>	no	Path to an input markdown spec to fold into the roadmap. Optional; conversation context is the primary source.
--output <path>	no	Override the default output path. Default: specs/phase-plans-v<N>.md at the repo root.
--append	no	Force append mode even if the resolved output path is new (rare).
--review-external	no	After writing the roadmap, run Gemini + Codex CLIs in parallel to review it. Requires gemini and codex installed and authenticated. Produces a _reviews.md sibling file.

Prerequisites

Expected helpers under .claude/skills/_shared/ (check existence before invocation; fall back inline when absent):

• _shared/scaffold_docs_catalog.py — scaffolds the docs catalog. On absence, create .claude/docs-catalog.json manually as an empty-array JSON file ([]).
• _shared/next_reflection_path.py — legacy helper only; current closeout writes reflections to resolve_skill_bundle_root("codex")/<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder/reflections/<repo_hash>/<branch_slug>/<run_id>.md.
• _shared/review_with_cli.py — used only with --review-external; required for that flag.

Mode detection

Resolve the output path in this order:

1. --output override.
2. Glob specs/phase-plans-v*.md; pick the highest version.
3. If none found, default to specs/phase-plans-v1.md (create mode).

If the resolved path exists → append mode. Otherwise → create mode.

Multi-roadmap disambiguation: when several specs/phase-plans-v*.md exist, the highest version is the default target, but confirm the intended file before writing. Each roadmap file is its own alias namespace — create mode starts a fresh namespace for a new version, and append mode must reuse the existing file's aliases without renumbering or colliding with them. Never fold a new initiative into an unrelated newer roadmap just because it is the latest version; a new initiative is a new roadmap (create mode), not an append.

Deferred tool preloading

Load tools used later in a single query:

ToolSearch(query: "select:AskUserQuestion,ExitPlanMode")

Workflow — create mode

Step 0 — Read predecessor handoff (if present)

Handoffs are keyed on the current repo so each workspace has its own slot. Resolve the predecessor path first:

REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
if [ -z "$REPO_ROOT" ]; then
  REPO_KEY="_no-git-$(pwd | sha1sum | cut -c1-12)"
else
  REPO_KEY="$(basename "$REPO_ROOT")-$(printf '%s' "$REPO_ROOT" | sha1sum | cut -c1-12)"
fi
PREDECESSOR_HANDOFF="$(python3 - <<'PYH'
from pathlib import Path
repo = Path.cwd().resolve()
skill = "<harness>-execute-phase"
try:
    # Primary: the installed phase_loop_runtime.skill_paths resolver.
    from phase_loop_runtime.skill_paths import resolve_handoff_root
    print(resolve_handoff_root(repo) / skill / "latest.md")
except Exception:
    # Fallback: the repo-local handoff_path.py mirror, only when the runtime is not importable.
    from importlib import util
    spec = util.spec_from_file_location("handoff_path", repo / "shared" / "phase-loop" / "handoff_path.py")
    mod = util.module_from_spec(spec)
    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
    print(mod.resolve_handoff_path(repo, skill))
PYH
)"

If $PREDECESSOR_HANDOFF exists, Read it in full — a prior /<harness>-execute-phase run may have left context useful for the next roadmap (completed phases, decisions made, gotchas discovered mid-execution). Treat its contents as additional input to Step 1.

Defense-in-depth checks (the repo-key scheme prevents the common cross-project case, but these still catch symlink-shared workspaces, manual file copies, and stale handoffs):

• If the handoff's from: field is not <harness>-execute-phase or its timestamp is older than 7 days, flag via AskUserQuestion with [use anyway, ignore, abort].
• Parse the handoff's artifact: field and verify at least one referenced path resolves under $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel). On mismatch, surface AskUserQuestion with [use anyway, ignore, abort].

If absent, proceed — this run is standalone.

Step 1 — Gather inputs

Sources (permissive but bounded):

1. The current conversation's user turns, assistant plans, and any committed architectural decisions.
2. The spec path argument, if supplied — Read it in full.
3. CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md at the repo root, if present.
4. Markdown files the user has explicitly named anywhere in the conversation.

Do not grep the repo for additional material. If context is insufficient, stop and ask the user via AskUserQuestion — a thin roadmap is worse than one more question.

Step 1a — Ensure docs catalog exists

Check for the helper before invoking:

HELPER="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.claude/skills/_shared/scaffold_docs_catalog.py"
if [ -f "$HELPER" ]; then
  python3 "$HELPER"
else
  CATALOG="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.claude/docs-catalog.json"
  [ -f "$CATALOG" ] || echo '[]' > "$CATALOG"
fi

Scaffolds .claude/docs-catalog.json if absent; no-op if already present. On helper absence, seed the catalog manually as an empty-array JSON file. The catalog drives the SL-docs lane that <harness>-plan-phase constructs for every phase. Existence matters more than content at this stage — the catalog will be refreshed (--rescan) by each SL-docs lane as the roadmap executes.

Step 2 — Synthesize top-of-document sections

Fill these sections before touching phase decomposition:

• Context — one-page synthesis: the problem, current state, the thesis of the refactor/build.
• Architecture North Star — ASCII diagram of the target architecture if the work is structural. Omit if not load-bearing.
• Assumptions (fail-loud if wrong) — numbered list of preconditions; each is something that, if false, invalidates the plan.
• Non-Goals — explicit deferrals. Use to cut scope; silence here causes scope creep later.
• Cross-Cutting Principles — rules that apply across every phase (e.g., "single-writer-per-SQLite-file", "no mocks in integration tests").

Step 3 — Decompose into phases (parallelization-maximizing)

Apply the heuristics in references/parallelization-heuristics.md in order:

1. Phases are serial checkpoints; lanes within a phase are parallel. Minimize total wall time by minimizing phase count and maximizing lanes per phase.
2. A phase boundary exists only at a necessary interface freeze. If two bodies of work share no freeze dependency and have disjoint files, they are sibling lanes inside one phase, not sequential phases.
3. Prefer narrow, early freezes. Each phase's Produces: lists the tightest contract that unblocks the next phase.
4. Split fat phases into parallel sibling phases when they contain independent subtrees (the P6A || P6B pattern).
5. Every phase decomposes into ≥2 lanes unless it is a preamble / interface-freeze-only phase (Phase 1 / P0 are the common exceptions). Single-lane phases are a code smell — merge or split.
6. Each phase's Scope notes lists explicit parallelism hints: suggested lane count, candidate disjoint-file partitions, and any single-writer files that would serialize lanes if ignored.
7. Identify cross-phase parallelism. Phases with no shared ancestor in the DAG can run concurrently. Call these out in the DAG.
8. Day-1 intra-phase freeze publication. When one lane's output shape can be published before its implementation lands, declare the shape as an intra-phase freeze so sibling lanes start against the contract rather than waiting.
9. Soft upper bound on lanes per phase. When a phase would contain more than 6–8 lanes AND the lanes partition into independent subtrees sharing no intra-phase freeze, split into sibling phases. When the lanes share intra-phase freezes, keep them in one phase regardless of count.

Step 4 — Draft Top Interface-Freeze Gates

For each inter-phase freeze, write one IF-0-<ALIAS>-<N> entry naming the concrete symbol, schema, or endpoint being frozen. Narrow is better — a gate that names "a dataclass with fields {a, b, c}" lets downstream lanes start; "the data model" does not.

Step 5 — Write each phase section

Use the skeleton from references/roadmap-template.md. Each phase MUST contain:

• **Objective** — one or two sentences.
• **Exit criteria** — checkbox list, each item testable and led by a stable goal ID EC-<ALIAS>-<N> (alias = this phase's alias): - [ ] EC-<ALIAS>-1 — <assertion>. Goal IDs are the single source of truth a downstream plan REFERENCES instead of restating (and drifting from) the goal. Rules: all-or-none per phase (every exit-criterion carries an ID, or none do — a mixed phase is a phase-loop validate-roadmap (H) error); unique + alias-scoped; gaps allowed — never reuse or renumber a deleted ID (a downstream plan references it by ID, so renumbering would silently re-bind it; the lint allows gaps precisely so a deletion never forces a renumber). Runtime goal-coverage then checks every ID is referenced by ≥1 plan acceptance item.
• **Scope notes** — lane decomposition hints, parallelism advice, edge cases.
• **Non-goals** — explicitly deferred.
• **Key files** — paths the phase touches.
• **Depends on** — upstream phase aliases, or (none) for roots. Root phases use the exact form - (none) with no trailing prose; put explanatory notes on a following bullet or in Scope notes.
• **Produces** — IF-0-<ALIAS>-<N> entries for freezes this phase publishes.

Phase heading format: ### Phase N — <Name> (<ALIAS>). Alias is short, mnemonic, alphanumeric (P1, P2A, P2B, P3, …). It becomes the filename token in phase-plan-v<N>-<alias>.md.

Runner compatibility hard requirement: every ### Phase ... heading MUST include (<ALIAS>), even when --output writes an alternate path such as planning/**/phase-roadmap.md instead of specs/phase-plans-v<N>.md. Never write prose-only headings like ### Phase 1 — Foundation; phase-loop and <harness>-plan-phase use the alias as the stable phase identifier.

Before writing the artifact, perform an explicit alias-assignment pass:

1. List every runnable phase heading you are about to emit.
2. Assign one unique uppercase alias per phase.
3. Rewrite each heading into the exact ### Phase N — <Name> (<ALIAS>) form.
4. Ensure the ## Phase Dependency DAG, **Depends on**, **Produces**, and ## Execution Notes sections refer to phases by those aliases, not by prose names or workstream IDs.

Do not substitute ## Phase Decomposition, ## Workstreams, or prose "Done when" sections for the canonical ## Phases structure. Narrative context may exist above the phase list, but runnable roadmap content must be under ## Phases with aliased phase headings.

Step 6 — Build Phase Dependency DAG

Render as ASCII. Show serial arrows (P1 → P2A → P2B) and parallel branches (P6A parallel after P1). This is the source of truth for the wall-clock schedule.

Step 7 — Write Execution Notes and Verification

• Execution Notes: how to invoke /<harness>-plan-phase <ALIAS> for each phase, and /<harness>-execute-phase <alias> for each. Call out which phases can be planned and executed concurrently.
• Verification: end-to-end shell commands that prove the whole roadmap delivered its goals. These are the integration tests the user will run after the last phase merges.

Step 8 — Validate

The validator ships in the always-installed phase-loop runtime, so it does not depend on the skill bundle's scripts/ directory being present. Prefer the CLI:

phase-loop validate-roadmap <output-path>
# equivalent, if you only have the runtime importable and not the console script:
python3 -m phase_loop_runtime.roadmap_lint <output-path>

Both wrap phase_loop_runtime.roadmap_lint (the single source of truth; the bundle's scripts/validate_roadmap.py is a thin shim over it). Run against the exact artifact path written by this invocation, including custom paths such as planning/**/phase-roadmap.md; do not validate a default specs/phase-plans-v<N>.md path unless that is the actual output. Fix every reported error before handing off. The validator enforces: required headings, phase-heading aliases, alias uniqueness, DAG acyclicity, IF-gate ID format, Depends-on correctness, and a lane-count / partition hint per phase (with a preamble/interface-only escape hatch) — a single justified Single lane phase satisfies it; it is not a hard ≥2-lanes rule.

If neither the phase-loop console script nor the phase_loop_runtime package is importable (an incomplete install), do not hand off a roadmap checked only by eye: install the runtime from the public agent-harness (scripts/install-agent-harness.sh, or uv tool install "git+https://github.com/Consiliency/agent-harness@v0.1.6#subdirectory=phase-loop-runtime") or report a blocker. The validator itself is always available once the runtime is installed — there is no "validator script missing" blocker.

Validator Format Contract — the checks above are regex-based on stable headings, not a full Markdown parse, so these formatting rules are load-bearing; a violation drops the phase, mis-parses a field, or trips a structural check rather than warning politely:

• Phase heading shape is ### Phase N — <Name> (<ALIAS>). The alias must match [A-Za-z0-9]+ — letters and digits only, no spaces, hyphens, underscores, or punctuation — and nothing may follow the closing ) on that line. Trailing decoration after (ALIAS) makes the heading malformed. Use UPPERCASE aliases (SKILLREF, P2A), the convention every roadmap follows: a lowercase alias parses in the heading but its Depends on references will not resolve, because the dependency parser uppercases the tokens it reads while the phase's own alias is compared as written.
• A malformed heading cascades — fix the heading first. A heading that fails the phase regex is not parsed as a phase at all, so its fields, alias, Depends on, and produced gates disappear and downstream checks (unknown-alias, IF-gate reconciliation, DAG acyclicity) light up with secondary errors. When a heading error appears, correct it and re-run before chasing the rest.
• Each **Field** label sits on its own line, with the field body on the following lines. **Objective** text on the same line is not recognized and reads as a missing field.
• Lists are bulleted: Key files uses - bullets and Exit criteria uses - [ ] / - [x] checkboxes. Prose in place of bullets reads as empty.
• Every implementation phase declares a lane hint in Scope notes (or a **Lanes** block): a literal such as decompose into N lanes, Single lane (with justification), or partition words (disjoint, owns, partition, lane A/lane B), unless the phase is marked preamble/interface-only.

Step 8.5 — External CLI review (only if --review-external)

Requires _shared/review_with_cli.py (see Prerequisites). After the roadmap is written and validated, run:

python3 "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.claude/skills/_shared/review_with_cli.py" \
  --artifact <output-path> \
  --prompt-file "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.claude/skills/<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder/assets/review_prompt.md" \
  --out <output-path>_reviews.md

If the frontier-model cache is empty, the script prints the discovery prompt to stderr. Surface to the user via AskUserQuestion with options [run discovery now, skip review this run, abort].

Tell the user: "Review written to <output-path>_reviews.md. Agreements between Gemini and Codex are real signal; divergences are context."

Step 9 — Write and exit

Write the roadmap to the resolved output path. If you are in plan mode (a plan-mode system reminder is present), call ExitPlanMode — the roadmap is the approval surface. If you are NOT in plan mode (adapter/non-interactive or default invocation), do not call ExitPlanMode; the written roadmap file is itself the deliverable — present its path and a one-line summary instead. After approval (or after writing, when not in plan mode), the hand-off message is: "Run /<harness>-plan-phase <ALIAS> for each phase. Phases with no shared DAG ancestor (e.g., <list them>) can be planned concurrently."

Workflow — append mode

Step A1 — Read existing roadmap

Read the existing specs/phase-plans-v*.md. Extract:

• The highest ## Phase N number.
• The full existing alias set.
• The highest IF-0-<ALIAS>-<N> sequence number per phase.
• The existing Phase Dependency DAG edges.

Step A2 — Identify new phases from context

Apply Step 1 above to gather new context. Then apply Step 3's heuristics to decide which new phases are needed. Do not modify existing phases — additions only. If the new context implies that an existing phase is wrong, stop and tell the user; do not silently edit.

Step A3 — Assign numbers and aliases

• Phase numbers continue strictly increasing (highest existing + 1, +2, …).
• New aliases must not collide with existing ones. Extend the convention (P8, P9, or P4B if it branches from an existing P4).

Step A4 — Wire Depends on

For each new phase, list every existing phase it depends on by alias. A new phase that depends on nothing existing is either a new root (rare — possible when introducing a parallel initiative) or misidentified.

Step A5 — Splice into the document

Insert new phase sections under ## Phases, after the last existing phase, before ## Execution Notes. Update two other sections:

• ## Phase Dependency DAG — add the new nodes and edges.
• ## Top Interface-Freeze Gates — append any new IF-0-<ALIAS>-<N> entries.

Leave ## Context, ## Architecture North Star, ## Assumptions, ## Non-Goals, ## Cross-Cutting Principles, ## Execution Notes, and ## Verification alone unless the new phases invalidate a stated assumption — in which case surface the conflict to the user and stop.

Step A6 — Validate + exit

Same as Step 8, Step 8.5 (if --review-external), and Step 9. Validator must pass.

Output contract

The output file must match references/roadmap-template.md structurally. <harness>-plan-phase parses stable headings (## Context, ### Phase N — <Name> (<ALIAS>), **Objective**, **Exit criteria**, etc.) by regex; non-standard formatting breaks downstream.

Hand-off

After approval, invoke /<harness>-plan-phase <ALIAS> per phase. Phases with no shared ancestor in the DAG can be planned and executed in parallel — note which ones in the hand-off message. The wall-clock critical path is the longest DAG path through the roadmap.

Close-out — Stage artifact (preservation guarantee)

After ExitPlanMode is approved (or, when not in plan mode, after the roadmap file is written), before exiting:

1. Run git status --short -- <output-path> and include the _reviews.md sibling if --review-external produced one.
2. If the roadmap or review artifact is untracked or modified and the user did not explicitly forbid staging, run git add <output-path> plus the review sibling if present.
3. Rerun git status --short -- <output-path> and report Artifact state: staged|tracked|modified|unstaged|blocked.
4. Do not commit unless the user explicitly asked for a commit.

Before final response and handoff, choose the next phase to plan from the roadmap DAG. If at least one phase is ready, set Next phase: <ALIAS> - <phase name> and Next command: /<harness>-plan-phase <ALIAS>. If no phase should be planned next, set Next phase: none - <reason> and Next command: none - <reason>.

Close-out — Reflection + Handoff

Stage the roadmap/plan artifacts before writing either close-out file so the deliverable is preserved in the index unless the user explicitly forbade staging.

After artifacts are staged or confirmed tracked, resolve paths:

REFLECTION_PATH=resolve_skill_bundle_root("codex")/<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder/reflections/<repo_hash>/<branch_slug>/<run_id>.md
REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)
REPO_LOCAL_HANDOFF=$(python3 - <<'PYH'
from pathlib import Path
repo = Path.cwd().resolve()
skill = "<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder"
try:
    # Primary: the installed phase_loop_runtime.skill_paths resolver.
    from phase_loop_runtime.skill_paths import resolve_handoff_root
    print(resolve_handoff_root(repo) / skill / "latest.md")
except Exception:
    # Fallback: the repo-local handoff_path.py mirror, only when the runtime is not importable.
    from importlib import util
    spec = util.spec_from_file_location("handoff_path", repo / "shared" / "phase-loop" / "handoff_path.py")
    mod = util.module_from_spec(spec)
    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
    print(mod.resolve_handoff_path(repo, skill))
PYH
)
mkdir -p "$(dirname "$REPO_LOCAL_HANDOFF")"
SKILL_MD=resolve_skill_bundle_root("codex")/<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder/SKILL.md

Write BOTH files directly via the Write tool — this is the primary path.

FILE 1 — REPO-AGNOSTIC reflection → write to <REFLECTION_PATH>

# <harness>-phase-roadmap-builder reflection — <ISO timestamp>

## Run context
- Skill: <harness>-phase-roadmap-builder
- Timestamp: <ISO timestamp>
- Repo: <repo>
- Branch: <branch>
- Commit: <commit>
- Artifact: <artifact path if any, or none>

## What worked
- <bullet, about the SKILL's instructions>

## What didn't
- <bullet, about friction or gaps in the SKILL's instructions>

## Improvements to SKILL.md
- <specific, actionable change to the instructions>

Do NOT reference this project, codebase, filenames, or domain in FILE 1. Feedback is about how the skill's instructions performed, for a future meta-skill that digests reflections across runs.

FILE 2 — REPO-SPECIFIC handoff → write to <REPO_LOCAL_HANDOFF> (per-repo slot; overwrites any prior handoff from this skill in the same repo)

<!--
  Consumer validation — before acting on this handoff:
  1. Verify `from:` matches the expected predecessor skill.
  2. Verify `timestamp:` is within the last 7 days.
  3. Verify every `artifact:` path resolves under your current
     `$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)`. If any path points to a
     different repo, stop and surface it to the user — the handoff
     was written against a different workspace.
-->
---
from: <harness>-phase-roadmap-builder
timestamp: <ISO>
artifact: <absolute path(s) to roadmap spec + any reviews written>
artifact_state: <staged|tracked|modified|unstaged|blocked>
next_skill: <<harness>-plan-phase|none>
next_command: </<harness>-plan-phase ALIAS|none - reason>
next_phase: <ALIAS - phase name|none - reason>
---

# Handoff for the next skill

## Summary
<2-3 sentences: what was produced, where to find it.>

## Key decisions made this run
- <numbered, one line each>

## Open items for the next skill
- <concrete, actionable — e.g., "Lane SL-3 expects the
  plugins_for(repo_id) signature from IF-0-P3-1; verify it
  before planning P4">

## Repo-specific gotchas surfaced
- <things that surprised this run; quirks of THIS codebase>

## Planning artifacts staged this run
- <path> @ <artifact_state>

## Next skill's likely scope
- <best-effort forecast of which files/paths the next skill will touch>

Optionally delegate to a spawned frontier-tier Agent instead when independent review with a fresh context window is desired (e.g., after complex runs). Resolve the model via the <harness>-execute-phase Model tiers table:

Agent(
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  model: "<frontier-model-id>",
  name: "<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder-closeout",
  prompt: """
    Review the skill at <SKILL_MD> and the current execution transcript.
    Write FILE 1 to <REFLECTION_PATH> and FILE 2 to <REPO_LOCAL_HANDOFF> using
    the schemas defined in the SKILL's Close-out section.
  """
)

After the files are written, print to the user:

Roadmap written to <spec-path>. Reflection saved to <REFLECTION_PATH>. Handoff written to <REPO_LOCAL_HANDOFF>.

Recommended next step: run /clear to reset your context window, then invoke /<harness>-plan-phase <ALIAS>. The next skill reads the handoff automatically.

Reference files

• references/roadmap-template.md — exact structural skeleton to emit.
• references/parallelization-heuristics.md — extended rules for edge cases in phase/lane decomposition.

Use phase_loop_runtime.skill_paths resolver helpers for harness skill roots, handoff roots, helper roots, and reflection roots.

Spec Delta Policy

Every roadmap phase must declare its expected spec_delta_closeout.v1 policy. Add a phase-local **Spec closeout policy** block that names schema: spec_delta_closeout.v1, the expected decision (no_spec_delta, roadmap_amendment, canonical_spec_update, governed_pipeline_refresh, mirror_cutover_required, dotfiles_skill_source_update, or human_source_judgment_required), target surfaces, evidence paths, redaction_posture: metadata_only, and any non-human blocker_class=contract_bug routing for missing or malformed evidence. Use no_spec_delta for phases that do not change reusable specs, dotfiles_skill_source_update for dotfiles-owned skill/source updates, and downstream routing decisions such as governed_pipeline_refresh or mirror_cutover_required only as metadata-only deferrals, not as write authorization.

Verification Contract

Roadmap phases must set the expectation that downstream plans include machine-checkable verification commands and an effective automation.suite_command. If a phase depends on operational evidence that cannot be machine-checked directly, name the operational evidence artifact and the runner-stamped amendment mechanism that records it. proxy evidence requires a roadmap amendment before any downstream plan treats it as a gate verdict.

Closeout

Closeout payload shape is defined by EmitPhaseCloseout in phase_loop_runtime/baml_src/emit_phase_closeout.baml (if that path is absent in the checkout, use the operator/prompt-supplied field contract or the installed phase_loop_runtime package — the missing vendored BAML source is not a blocker); keep skill text focused on value selection and handoff routing, not duplicated field ceremony.

Before final response, write a reflection for every non-trivial run. Write it to resolve_skill_bundle_root("codex")/<harness>-phase-roadmap-builder/reflections/<repo_hash>/<branch_slug>/<run_id>.md. The reflection must include ## Run context with skill name, ISO timestamp, repo, branch, commit, and artifact path if any, followed by ## What worked, ## What didn't, and ## Improvements to SKILL.md. skip only when no artifact was produced AND no decision was made AND the run was pure inspection.